it was a way to pay for parts of the healthcare law. they will see the top rates a bump of 3.8% come january 1. that seems unlikely to be changed as part of the fiscal cliff negotiations. you'll still see that surtax on top of that. host: this from twitter. guest: i leave that as it is. host: is that how much it could go up? guest: yes. host: currently it is 35%. go ahead, mark. caller: the previous caller mentioned capital gains -- the recent point about the medicare surcharge to pay for the affordable care act. if he thought it could be a solution to kill both of those birds with one stone. guest: i'm not a health-care expert. host: no problem. we have this from twitter. guest: i believe that is the case. tom in california, go ahead. caller: i have several issues with the estate tax. i am a farmer if it comes back to the normal 1 million exemptions. we work together to build this estate. it wasn't just my parents but it is in my parents' name. i have to pay tax to something i have contributed to. host: help people understand how farme